How to contact us:Phone: (02) 6272 7500

Email: info@healingfoundation.org.au

www.healingfoundation.org.au

What is healing?Healing is about changing the future.

Healing from trauma is creating a new ending to a difficult story.

Healing helps people to feel safe and connected.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people healing can include coming to terms with the past, recovering from addiction or connecting with land, language and culture.

What is trauma?Trauma affects the way we think, act and behave. It is overwhelming and changes the way our brain and body works.

Trauma is something that is with you forever. It doesn’t ever go away but you can learn to manage the impact of trauma.

The forced removal of children has caused incredible suffering in many different ways:

• Stolen Generations children had their names changed and their identities removed

• connections to family, culture, land and sea, were removed

• they were denied love and parenting

• they experienced physical, emotional and sexual abuse that left very deep and complex wounds.

www.facebook.com/healingfoundation/

@HealingOurWay

Who we areThe Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that partners with communities to address the ongoing trauma caused by actions like the forced removal of children from their families.

The Healing Foundation was born out of the recommendations of the Bringing Them Home Report in 1997. It was set up by the Commonwealth Government in 2009 on the first anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations for the century long practice of Australian governments forcibly removing Aboriginal children from their families.

We support people to better understand their trauma and we work with communities to lead their own healing solutions. We are leading the way in research into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing. The Healing Foundation’s studies are unique, valuable and highly regarded both locally and internationally.

The Healing Foundation is governed by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander board whose members have strong connections to community.

Before the Healing Foundation was established, Australia had no national focus on the impact of trauma on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

What we doThe Healing Foundation works in the areas of Stolen Generations, children and young people, community healing including men’s and women’s healing and training and education. We:

• assisted more than 45,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their healing journeys

• funded almost 170 community based healing projects

• provided nearly 500 organisations with grants for local commemorative events

• and established an impressive body of evidence with over 20 evaluations and publications.

Where we work:The majority of the Healing Foundation’s work is in urban (45%) or regional (38%) areas.

17% is done in remote locations.

New South Wales and Queensland have the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.

Our research shows Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory had the worst trauma indicators per capita when it came to analyzing incarceration, juvenile justice, child protection, mental health, suicide and domestic and family violence rates.

State-by-State:

Limited engagement in Tasmania and ACT

13% Victoria

7% South Australia

12% Western Australia

28% Northern Territory

20% New South Wales

19% Queensland

almost 40% on Stolen Generations

just over 10% on healing centres

nearly 30% on training and education

The Healing Foundation focuses its investment in the following areas:

the rest looks at other healing initiatives, including intergenerational trauma and men’s healing